Proposed Indiana Highway's Preferred Route Expected In Fall

JASPER, Ind. (AP) — The preferred route of a proposed highway that would run from the Ohio River to Interstate 69 in southern Indiana is expected to be announced late this year.

That route for the Mid-States Corridor will be identified in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement that should be published in the fall, the corridor's project team said.

Public hearings will be held after that document is published, including a formal comment period, The (Jasper) Herald reported.

After the project team considers all public comments, it will further refine the preferred route in what's known as a Final Environmental Impact Statement. The Federal Highway Administration is expected to select the final corridor for the highway in summer 2022.

The Indiana Department of Transportation has proposed five possible routes for the highway, which would be four-lane, limited-access highway that would run north from Owensboro, Kentucky, and through Dubois County to connect to I-69.

Supporters of the planned highway say it will improve southern Indiana’s highway connections.

Opponents have said the project shouldn’t be advanced while the public is focused on the coronavirus outbreak. They also argue that repairing existing roads would help the area’s economy and that a new highway would damage the region's forests and caves.